India probes mystery illness after 17 die: Reports
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SRINAGAR, India – The authorities in India-administered Jammu and Kashmir are investigating a mysterious disease that has claimed the lives of 17 people, local media reports said on Jan 25.
The deaths, including those of 13 children, occurred in the remote village of Badhaal in Jammu’s Rajouri area from early December 2024.
The village was declared a containment zone earlier this week, with about 230 people quarantined, the Press Trust of India (PTI) news agency reported.
All those who died had damage to the brain and nervous system, said Dr Amarjeet Singh Bhatia, who heads Rajouri’s government medical college.
“The winter vacations have also been cancelled to deal with the medical alert situation,” PTI quoted Dr Bhatia as saying.
The victims were members of three related families.
The federal government has launched an investigation, with Health Minister Jitendra Singh saying an initial probe suggested the deaths were “not due to any infection, virus or bacteria but rather a toxin”.
“There is a long series of toxins being tested. I believe a solution will be found soon. Additionally, if there was any mischief or malicious activity, that is also being investigated,” PTI quoted Mr Singh as saying.
In a separate medical incident, the authorities in the western city of Pune recorded at least 73 cases of a rare nerve disorder.
Those infected with Guillain-Barre Syndrome (GBS) include 26 women, and 14 of the patients were on ventilator support, PTI quoted an official as saying.
In GBS, a person’s immune system attacks the peripheral nerves, according to the World Health Organisation.
The syndrome can impact nerves that control muscle movement, which may lead to muscle weakness or loss of sensation in the legs or arms, and those infected may have trouble swallowing and breathing. AFP
